Former Utah Jazzman John Stockton busy on book promotion tour

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Former Utah Jazz star John Stockton has been busy the last few days, promoting his new book "Assisted" on national television and radio.

Stockton's book, which he co-wrote with his former coach and lifelong friend Kerry Pickett, was released Tuesday. On Tuesday, Stockton made an appearance at the NBA store in New York to sign copies of his book, and on Wednesday morning, he appeared on Jim Rome's nationally-syndicated radio show. He has also appeared on ESPN as part of a whirlwind promotional tour.

In July, Stockton talked to The Tribune about his upcoming book, the writing of which seemed out-of-character for the reclusive point guard who shunned attention and publicity during his NBA career.

"I've been accused sometimes of being a hermit," Stockton said at the time. "[But] my feelings about privacy have never changed and probably never will. Everybody deserves that."

In Assisted, the anecdotes Stockton shares are often witty, poignant and self-deprecating. He gives readers a truly unique look at his career and his relationships with those who helped him along the way  from St. Aloysius school in Spokane, Wash., to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals were the highlight of Stockton's career with the Jazz, of course. Utah lost twice to Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls.

By design, however, Stockton spends little time discussing the two series that broke Utah's heart.

"There were some great moments in there  great basketball, great plays [and] great victories," he explained. "But we lost. I didn't think it was my place to talk much about it. If you win, you get an open forum to talk about the last shot or the last rebound. If you lose, what's there to talk about?"

 Steve Luhm

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